Electro-magnetic reciprocating engine



(No Model.)

0. J. VAN DEPOELE.

ELEGTRO MAGNETIG REOIPROGATING ENGINE.

Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' 'v m I lllIIIIIIIIIIIHINIIIIIEIMMEEII- u an M WWWM RLL (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2v 0. J. VAN DEPOELE.

ELEOTRO MAGNETIC REGIPROOATING ENGINE. No. 337,897.

Patgnted Mar. 16, 1886.

I. 1k\v&\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RECIPROCATING ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,897, dated March16, 1886.

Application filed .Tune 24, 1885. Serial No. 169,645.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE- PoELE,a citizen oftheUnitedStates of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectro-Magnetic Reciprocating Engines, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of electric engines similar to thatshown in my application havingthe Serial No. 155,246, filed February 7, 1885, and is more particularlyadapted for mining or other similar purposes; and the invention consistsin the peculiar combinations and the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more particularly described, and then pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of anengine constructed according to my improvement. Fig. 2 shows a plan ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section without the wheelsshown in the previous figures. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same,showing a lamp and its connections and with a different form ofconnection between the motor and brushholders. Figs. 5, 6, 7. and 8 areenlarged details, which will be more fully described here inal'ter. Fig.9 is an end view, partly broken away. Fig. 10 is a partly-sectional sideview. Fig. 11 shows a detail of a commutator pro Vided with a rollingbrush. Fig. 12 shows an elevation of the brush indicated in Fig. 11,detached.

In the different figures similar letters indicate similar parts.

A is a diamagnet-ic rod, carrying at one end the tool or cutter, andhaving its other end solidly affixed to the iron core or plunger B,which is driven to and fro under the iniiuence of the current in thesurrounding solenoidformed of a number of fiatcopper sections or coils,F F, the inner end of one coil being connected to the outer end of thenext throughout the entire series, as usual.

C is a brass tube or cylinder, carrying the. sections of the solenoidand slotted longitudinally the whole length occupied by said sections,and carrying at one end a hearing, C, for the rod A.

(No model.)

D and D are two soft-iron heads, mounted upon the cylinder C and holdingthe sections F F of the solenoid in place.

E is a tube or cylinder of soft iron, fitted upon the heads D and D,which tube is preferably cut open longitudinally, so as to give passageto the wires from the sectional solenoid to the commutator placed aboveit.

The sections of the solenoid F F are provided with the terminals f,electrically connected to the flat plates 1 and 2, (see Fig. 6,) whichare in turn placed against the sections L of .thecommutator.

G is a plate or top, of wood or other insulating material, upon whichthe commutator and accompanying parts are mounted, and thus insulatedfrom the frame of the machine.

H and H are guides for the commutatorbrushes, on which run the slides I1'1 I, at tached to the brush'holders J J, which carry contact-brushesmade of tine copper-leaf strips set against each other and soldered attheir upper edges, or otherwise secured together.

At K and K are shown two strips ot' insulating materialsnch asVulcanized fiber or other suitable snbstance-holding the brushholdersand brushes apart and insulating the same from one another.

The construction and arrangement of these brush-holders are more clearlyshown in the enlarged view, Fig. 8, which represents a horizontalsection of the same. An examina tion of this will show that the holder Jis attached on one side by asinglc screw to the insulating-strip K, andthat the slide I is only connected with it by the insulaling material,and is not, therefore, in electrical connection with it. The slide I onthe other side, however, is electrically connected with the brushholderby means of two screws, which pass through the insulating material intoearsjj, formed on the brushholder J. The slide 1 of the otherbrushholder, J, is arranged reversely-that is to say, the oppositeguide. I, is electrically connected with the brushholder while 1 is not.

To keep the brushes in contact with the commutator, I employ a spring,a, which can be adjusted by a set-screw, c, which passes through the topof the brush-holder. The

guide H is electrically connected with the positive post 1? 0, while theother guide, H, v:

ICO

' is connected to a conductor which is also connected to a motor, M, anda lamp, U, hereinafter referred to, and from both of which the currentreturns to the negative post N e.

The commutator is formed of sections L, disposed as shown in detail inFig. 5, where L L L L L are the copper commutator-sections, againsteachof which a contact-plate, as 1 or 2, (see Fig. 6,) is placed, eachcontact-plate touching one copper section, and is therefore inelectrical contact with the same and with one of the sections ofthesolenoid. Between each following pair is placed a plate of insulatingmaterial, thus keeping the consecutive sections insulated from eachother, and when all the. plates and contacts are in place they are kepttogether by top plates, e and e,

V, insulated from commutator-sections by means.

of hard rubber or other similar material, and screwed tight together onthe ends by means of screws 8, (see Fig. 11,) bearing on the end plates,so that in case of repairs or replacing of copper sections all there isto do is totake out the flat sections and their insulations and toreplace the same by new ones. The contact-plates need not be disturbed,and will last indefinitely, always making. a good con- I nection betweenthe sections of the solenoid and the commutator-sections.

M is an independent minor electric rotary motor ofany approved form,having a crank,

P, which, through the pit-manN and pin 0,

moves the brushes to and fro over the rectangular commutator, thusshifting the current from end to end in the sectional solenoid, andproducing. the to-and-fro motion of .the iron core B, and with it therod A, and which will transfer the motion of the core B to any tool orinstrument connected with said rod A. This'motion of the-brushes isshown as accomplished in two ways. In Figs. 1 and 2 the pitman ispivotally connected at one end with the crank-pin p of the motor, whilethe other changing the current int-he sectional solenoid.

In this arrangement the pitman has'one end pivotally connected to thebrush-holder, and the other end has a hook by which it is looselyconnected to crank P. The pitman in this case moves under guide R andbetween springs T,

which tend to keepthe pitman in a central position.

At Q is a stop, fixed to the framev of the .motor, which holds thepitmaninthe position shown until the crank-pin p has slipped. out of the hookon the end of the pitman, when'an adjustable spring, S, connected to the.brushholders will carry the brush-holders and} pie man rapidly forward.The action of these parts is as follows: When the brushes are in theirextreme forward position, or opposite to that shown in Fig. 4, thecrank-pinp, as it revolves, will catch the hook of the pitman N andcarry it around until the latter strikes the stop Qflvhich' prevents thepitman following the crank-pin P. The motor, however, keeps" onturning,and the crank Pleaves the pitman behind. At the instant thisoccurs the spring S pulls the brushes forward over the commutator withgreat rapidity, producing correspondingly-accelerated motion ot'theironcore B, thus obtaining a high velocity and a heavy blow. The crank willthen again engage the hook of the pitman and again ca'rrythe brushesandpitman to the position shown in Fig. 4,

where the pitmanis again stopped by the stop Q,and the before-mentionedmotions repeated as long as the current is in action. The motor,carrying its crank along, will thus alternatel y draw back and releasethe brushes, pro ducing agentle return motion of the iron (3016 andtool, while the forward stroke will be as fast as possible. This willkeep on as long as the current is supplied to the machine.

At U is shown an electric lamp provided witha reflector, V, forilluminating the point of the tool or pick, or the pointon which itacts, as is generally necessary in coal-mining. Thecircuits in themachine are as follows:

' From a suitable electrical generator thecurrent enters at post P 0,(see Fig. 4,). and by a suitable conductor passes to guide-bar H toslide I, to brush -holderJ and its brush J, through the sections of thesolenoid comprised between the two brushes, to the brush and its holderJ, through the slide 1 of the latter and the guide-bar H to conductor X,where the current divides itself, part passing through the lamp U andpart through the motor, and I then returning from lamp and motor passesto post N, thus completing the circuit. The

total current passing through the lamp and motor will equalthecurren-t'passing through the coils of the-solenoid, and by means of avariable resistance the currentinmotor and lamp can be varied to suitthe requirements of speed and light. V

From the above. description it will be seen:

and D; but the point of highest magnetic energy is atthe inner side ofthe head. D and the front end of the iron core during thefor-.

ward stroke; but when the current entersat the center and leaves at.-therear the reverse takes place, audthe back-stroke is the result.

The magnetic intensity is greatly increased with. the iron tubeorenvelope, and at. the

same time it makes a' perfect protection for. the

coils. of the solenoid, so that-the machine can. be roughly handledwithout fear. of. injury.

Another advantage is, that the dampness or contact "with water isavoided, which such' machines are liable to encounter.

In former engines of this typeI used a commutator of cylindrical orcircular shape, as in my application before referred to; but in thepresent case I prefer to use a commutator of rectangular shape, asexplained above. The chief advantages of this form are-the ease ofconstruction and repairs, and italsosimplifies the working of thebrushes, which, as before explained, are moved by means of a rotaryelectric motor which is so arranged as to give a spasmodic motion to thebrushes runningover the commutator, thus producing a quick stroke orblow of the iron'plunger in the solenoid. It the pitman were connecteddirectly and solidly to the crank and to the brushholders, the resultwould be that the plunger would not be' able to travel faster than themotor, and thus, although a reciprocating motion would be produced bythe iron core, it would not be a blow such as the machine is intended togive and is requisite for the purpose of mining or other similar work.The device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I have found in practice to work well,the lost motion between the pitman N and the pin 0 allowing the motor toobtain a higher velocity just before the pitman strikes the pin 0. Atthe end of the stroke the speed has sensibly decreased; but at theextreme end of the stroke the motor has a chance to get another startand again increases its speed, and so on as long as the motor runs, thusgiving a spasmodic motion to the brushes over the commutator-andchanging with great rapidity the current in the solenoid, which on beingshifted gives a quick impulse to'the iron core and the tool it carries,and strikes a heavy blow at the object against which it is directed.

The above mode is especially adapted for quick-running machines; but forheavy and slower running apparatus the mode shown in Fig. 4 ispreferable, for,no matter how slow the motor runs or how slow the backor return stroke is made,the forward stroke will always be made withgreat velocity,and consequently with great power, because when the endof the back-stroke has been reached and the pitman is disengaged fromthe crank-pin P the spring S suddenly pulls the brushes and pitmanforward, reproducing a similar sudden forward stroke of the iron core orplunger.

Instead of connecting the motor directly to the crank, a smaller motorcan be used by gearing the same back to a larger gearwvheel, which inturn may carry the crank-pin P.

In Figs. 1 to 10 a frictional brush is shown, composed of a number ofvery thin copper leaves, so disposed as to run edgewiseover thecommutator-sections, which is held in position by means of abrush-holder provided with a springso arranged as to bear with more orless force upon the brush, thus preventing the breakage of the circuitbetween the brush and commutator. a

Instead of a frictional brush, a rolling brush (see Figs. 11 and 12) canbe used having less wear upon the commutator-sections. This rollingbrush is made of fine copper leaves 1', stamped out in proper shape andmounted upon a shaft, t, and then clamped fast thereon by means ofsuitable screw --nuts, '16. The disks are separated from each other bymeans of small copper disks n, so as to leave a space between eachadjacent disk of, say,

one sixty-fourth inch, which makes the brush more elastic than where allthe disks are of the same size. mounted upon a suitable frame, and aremoved the same as the frictional brushes. They are also held upon theface of the commutator by means ofa suitable spring system. (Shown inFig. 11.)

The electric lamp is placed in front of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1and 4,and. as before stated, is inelosed in a suitable reflector, which,being made of heavy glass or other material, not only protects the lampfrom accidental fracture through the falling of debris or otherwise, butat the same time diverts the light from the operators eyes and directsthe light in the point of the tool, thus enabling the operator to seewhere and what he is striking.

By the term "continuously-operating motor, used in the claims following,I do not limit myself to a rotary motor, except where specificallyclaimed, as a reciprocating motor may be substituted for the rotarymotor in some of the combinations claimed without departing from thespirit of my invention. Nor do I intend to limit myself to anelectromotor, except where it is specifically stated in the claims, asany other motor may be used as an equivalent.

Many different modes of operating the brushes so as to obtain a quickblow of the iron core and tools outside of the solenoid may be devised,without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

\Vliat I claim as new is- 1. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenoid, acore acted on by the opposite ends thereof alternately, a commutator andtraveling contacts therefor, and a spring constructed and arranged tocarry said contacts to the end of the commutator, energizing thesolenoid when the core and the tool carried thereby are delivering theirblow, substantially as described.

2. In an electromagnetic engine, a solenoid,

These roller-brushes are an iron core working therein, and a magneticnetic rod to transfer the cores force and mo.

tion, a diamagnetic tube inside the "solenoid withinwhich the coreworks, anda magnetic cylinder enveloping said solenoid, substanti'allyasdescribed.

5'. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenoid, an iron core workingtherein, a diamagnetic rod to transfer the cores force and motion, adiamagnetic slotted tube inside the solenoid within which the coreworks, and a magnetic cylinder enveloping the solenoid, substantially asdescribed.

. 6. In an electro-magneticengine,asectional solenoid and commutator, aniron core working in the solenoid, and a magnetic cylinder surroundingthe solenoid provided with an opening through the center fortheconnections between the solenoid and its commutator, substantially asdescribed.

' -7. In an electro-magnetic engine, asectional solenoid, a core workingtherein, a rectangular commutator having its sections in electricalconnection with the corresponding coils or I sections of the solenoid,and contacts for said commutator, in combination with an independentelectromotor constructed and arranged to move said contacts over saidcommutator, substantially as described.

. 8. Thecombination,withan electro magnetic reciprocating engine and itscurrent-com troller, of a rotary electromotor constructed and arrangedto operate said current-controller, substantially as described.

9. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenoid, a core working therein. anda current-controller, in combination with a. rotary electromotor inelectrical connection with the solenoid, and operating saidcurrent-controller, substantially as described.

. 10. In an electro magnetic engine, asectional solenoid, a core workingtherein, a rectangular commutator havingits sections in electricalcontact with the successive coils of the sectional solenoid, and a pairof contacts traveling over the commutator, in combination with anindependent electrical motor operating said contacts, substantially asdescribed.

11. In an electro-magnetic engine,a solenoid, a core acted on by theopposite ends thereof alternately, a commutator connected to thesolenoid, and traveling contacts therefor, in combination with anindependent motor constructed and arranged to give the travelingcontacts an intermittent motion, substantially as described. e

12. In an electro-magnetic engine,a solenoid. a core acted on by theopposite ends thereof alternately, a commutator connected to thesolenoid, and traveling'contacts therefor, in

v alternately, a commutator connectedto the solenoid, and travelingcontacts therefor, in

combination. with. an independent rotary elec at the end of their.-forward tially as described.

"tromotor constructedfand arranged to give the,

oid, a core. acted on by the opposite; ends al-r ternately, and acommutator for the solenoid, in combination with an independentcontinuously-operating motor, traveling contacts for the commutator, andan intermittently-operating connection between the motor andcontacts,whereby the contacts are caused to travel rapidly over thecommutator and rest at the,- end of their forward stroke, substantiallyas: described. r

15. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenoid, a core acted on by the.oppositeends. alternately, and a commutator for the solenoid,- incombination with an independent continuously operating electromotor,traveling contacts for the commutator, and an intermittently-operatingconnection between the motor and contacts, whereby the contacts arecausedto travel rapidly over the commutator and rest stroke, substan-16. In an electro-magnetic; engine, a solenoid, a core acted on by theopposite ends alternately, and acommutator for the solenoid, incombination with an independent continuouslyoperating rotaryelectromotor, traveling contacts for the commutator, and anintermittently-operating connection between the motor and contacts,whereby the contacts are IO. caused to travel rapidlyover the commutatorand rest at the end of their forward stroke, substantially as described.17. In an electro-magnetic engine, a solenoid, its traveling core, acommutator. andtraveling contacts,incombination with a motor having acrank and a pitman forming a loose connection between the crank andtraveling: contacts, substantially as described.

18. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenoid, its traveling core, acommutator, and traveling contacts,in combinationw-ith an elec tricmotor having a crankanda pitman forming a loose connection between thecrank and traveling contacts, substantially as described. 19. In anelectro-magnetic engine, a solenoid, its traveling core, a commutator,and traveling contacts,in combination with a motor provided with a crankhaving one end positively connected with the traveling contacts and itsother end loosely connected with thecrank of the motor, and mechanism,substantiall y as described,for disconnecting the crank and pitman, asset forth. t 20. In an electro-magnetic engine, a solenoid, itstraveling core, a commutator, and traveling contacts, in combinationwith a ro-- tary electromotor provided with a crank having one endpositively connected with the traveling contacts and its otherendlooselyconnected with the crank ot' the motor, andmechanism,substantially as described, for disconnecting the crank and pitman, assetforth.

21. In an electro-magnetic engine, asolenpoid, its traveling core, acommutator, and traveling contacts,in combination with a motor having acrank, a pitman having one end positively connected to the travelingcontacts and provided with a hook at the other, a stop to disconnect thehook and crank, and a spring to carry the traveling contacts in theopposite direction they were moved by the crank, sub stantially asdescribed.

22. In an electromagnetic engine, a solenoid, its traveling core, acommutator, and traveling contacts, in combination with a 1'0- taryelectromotor having a crank, a pitnian having one end positivelyconnected to the traveling contacts and provided with a hook at theother, a stop to disconnect the hook and crank, and a spring to carrythetraveling contacts in the opposite directions they were moved by thecrank ,substantially as described.

23. In an electromagnetic engine, a sectional solenoid having arectangular commutator composed of permanent contact-plates inelectrical connection with the sections of the solenoid, and detachablewearing-plates, substantially as set forth, and for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 11th day of June, 1885.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. STILES, JOHN EAsoN,

